The Brides of Rollrock Island

This book reminds me of Maggie Stiefvater's "The Scorpio Races." Not at all because of similar plots, but because of the setting on a small, isolated island presumably somewhere in the British isles.

This is a dark retelling of one of those weirder well-known myths of selkie women who shed their seal skins to live on land as humans. It's full of characters who can be painfully selfish and cruel, who have been twisted by time and loss. We jump between characters and timelines and sometimes it's a confusing process, but the many perspectives we get of the characters experiencing the island's dark and alluring magic are worth any temporary confusion.

The prose is beautiful, the character's flawed and well-developed. An excellent take on show more the myth, and an intriguing story overall. show less

Where to begin? This book was stunning. Absolutely stunning. It's going to be a difficult task to sufficiently describe both the book and why it was so excellent. It's so unlike anything I've read. It's eerie, haunting, atmospheric, stark, rustic, stormy, fascinating,unsettling, tragic, with moments of beauty. The language is gorgeous--Lanagan evokes such beautiful, clear images and emotions with rich, unexpected diction. I loved the mythology that felt like folklore--or rather felt like what really happened that then developed into folklore. Bleak though it may have been, Rollrock and its people were vivid, realistic, and unlike anything I've encountered in YA lit.

We witness the spellbinding (pun intended) development of Misskaella show more from misfit girl into witch, seeing who she really is, where she comes from, and how she becomes who she becomes. We then watch as the consequences of her decisions unfold in fascinating and often sorrowful ways. The story is told from six perspectives, each giving the reader a different view of life on the island, a different view of development of the story. Frankly, I would have been happy to read a novel about each of those characters. (I was especially sad to see Misskaella's section come to a close.) Lanagan often tells her story by implication, making it even more eerie, and more intense as the reader puts together the pieces and experiences the (often heart-breaking) realization of what happened. There is so much meat in this story. I would love to read this with friends and discuss it.

I will say that this is a book that takes some effort to get into. The first chapter I found a bit confusing (and I'm not entirely sure why it was there), but once I got into Misskaella's narrative, that was it. Not a book for everyone, I'd say, but oh, it was masterful. show less

3.5*

"On remote Rollrock Island, the sea-witch Misskaella discovers she can draw a girl from the heart of a seal. So, for a price, any man might buy himself a bride; an irresistibly enchanting sea-wife. But what cost will be borne by the people of Rollrock - the men, the women, the children - once Misskaella sets her heart on doing such a thing?"

I've always been fascinated with the legend of Selkies, ever since seeing the movie The Secret of Roan Inish which is based on the book [b:Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry|2295426|Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry|Rosalie K. Fry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459864579s/2295426.jpg|672792] by Rosalie Fry.

During a reading challenge around Australian Authors I had an opportunity to indulge that show more interest with Margo Lanagan's Sea Hearts, winner of the 2013 Children's Book Council of Australia's Book of the Year for Older Children.

Sea Hearts is a tale of desire, revenge, loyalty, heartache, loss and weakness with some magic thrown in. All the makings for a great tale.

The prose was beautifully written, though no doubt would be a struggle for younger readers. Even as an adult it took some time to move with the rhythm and flow of the book. It is thought provoking and lyrical and best for kept for when you have time to immerse yourself with intent, rather than a quick, lazy read.

The story is written from the view point of several characters (none from that of a sea-wife) but from their husbands, children and the central character, the witch Misskaella. While I normally do not enjoy a lit of shifting perspectives (as popular as it is becoming these days) this did bring interesting perspectives on the consequences of bringing forth women from the seals.

The book never really addresses the wrong or right of these actions, only urges you to consider the consequences from all angles, showing that the world is never made up of black and whites, just many shades of grey.

There are so many words to describe this book. Dark, Melancholy, Moody, Heartbreaking.

I gave Sea Hearts 3.5* because, although it was a beautiful book, it was at times difficult to read, certainly in the beginning and I felt that ultimately the end was just lacking "something". Its hard to describe what that something is... you know it when you read it.. It leaves you breathless with a sense of disbelief of what you have just read. show less

This is a sad, haunting, achingly lovely novel. On a lonely, rocky, windswept isle that might be off the coast of either Ireland or England, a bitter and heartsore witch conjures beautiful, gentle sea-wives out of seals to enchant the men away from the native women. The story spans a generation as the witch's slow revenge works its way through its tragic course, sometimes surprising even her. Each character is fully formed and their stories are richly told in wonderful, muscular, earthy language. Utterly brilliant.

I have to go back and check if this book really was classified as YA, because it really reads more like an adult fairy tale.

At first glance, The Brides of Rollrock Island is about a sea-witch, Misskaella, who enacts her revenge on the residents of Rollrock Island because of the bullying she endured while growing up. She conjures up sea-wives (selkies) to enchant the men, driving every woman off the island--and earning a mighty sum in the process.

But again, that's just at first glance. The book goes into different character's PoVs, all telling the same story through different perspectives. With each new perspective, protagonists become villains, villains to characters you root for, and you see the fairytale more richly and clearly. It's show more hauntingly beautiful and expertly written.

The prose is so gorgeous and flowing you just keep reading on and on. It sucks you in, even if it's not a very action-packed novel. It's definitely not for everyone, but it's a transporting, powerful book, and one that'll probably stick with me for a while. show less

‘’Rollrock is a lonely island of cliffs and storms, blunt fishermen and their fierce wives. Life is hard for the families who must wring a poor living from the stormy seas. But Rollrock is also a place of magic.’’

When I read (and adored) Kirsty Logan’s The Gloaming, my dear friend Marina recommended Margo Lanagan’s The Brides of Rollrock Island because she knows how much I love myths, islands and selkies. I can honestly say (one more time) that Marina knows me frighteningly well. If you love island communities, the Scottish landscape, myths and tales, witches, weird births, seals and selkies or if you just need to read a quality tale, then you need this book in your life.

In an island that definitely resembles the Scottish show more Hebrides, a community is torn asunder by Misskaella’s abilities to turn seals into beautiful, alluring, seemingly docile young women. Families and relationships are turned upside down. This is Misskaella’s way of exacting revenge for years of contempt and abuse, even from her own mother. She demonstrates the evil, the hypocrisy and ruthlessness of men, their willingness to put everything at risk because of an itch.

‘’The north road swung up over the cliff almost gaily, and we walked it up into the teeth of the wind, and it battered our hair and flapped our coat-collars. The sea on our left tossed moon-twinkles about, rushed and smashed at the cliffs, drummed in the road underfoot.’’

Lanagan makes excellent use of the fairytales of the sea and the legends of the islands, focusing on the beloved myth of the selkie women. However, she develops the famous story and takes it one step further, in a brilliant twist of the ages-old legend. Furthermore, she brings the children of the selkie wives out of obscurity and gives them the chance to express their feelings of belonging to two worlds that are so close and so far away. Where do they belong? What is it that makes an island community so harsh and unforgiving? What happens when the laws of nature and its balance are violated because of men’s desires and endless ego?

Lanagan’s writing is excellent. She depicts the language of the islanders and the younger members of the community faithfully and vividly, the dialogue is flowing and natural. There are many beautiful descriptions of the island at night, the community of the seals, the fishing villages, the harsh domestic life as a responsibility of the resilient mams. There were quite a few moments that reminded me of Logan’s The Gloaming and this is the highest compliment for Lanagan’s beautiful novel.

The jewel of the story is Misskaella, a heroine that will stay with you. She is such an interesting character, so fierce and proud. The way she copes with her awful family and the heathens that surround her with their notions of propriety and their superstitions. I believe every thinking girl will find herself connected to her. She is the Witch, the ‘’Other’’, the one who doesn’t comply, the one who rebels.
The Brides of Rollrock Island is a novel rich in beautiful imagery, themes that require our attention as it happens in every well-written tale and a main character that you will love.

‘’Complain? It’s only noise.’’

* Marina, I can’t thank you enough for this gem! Hvala ti! (If I didn’t get that right, someone will find himself in trouble…) *

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com show less

Let me begin by saying that I'm not sure whether this book qualifies as young adult. Rather, its a very fine line to draw. This book is best for the higher half of young adults. 15 and up (even to adults). The content is mature, not in the modern sense or a risque sense. This book holds truths of human nature and it's incredibly dark. Need to take a moment to define dark.
Dark in the sense of this book means that there is a lot of magic that isn't doing anyone a whole lot of good. There are hidden secrets that are maybe better left alone. There's no real happy ending in the sense that we're used to hearing it. A lot of the events taking place might have you doing a double take.

Now let's get to the gritty stuff here.
Who is this book even show more about? Really, its about Miskaella the witch. Even though that can be claimed, there is a lot more at work and a lot more to the story than just a witch stirring up trouble.

Can we talk about format? I think that'd be a good place to go next before I get ahead of myself and lose you. This book is divided into a few sections. Not chapters. There are 7 total sections. Each section is a different viewpoint. Yes, ladies and gentleman, this is one of those books. It jumps from person to person and covers the span of several years. Only one of these characters gets the chance to talk twice.

The best thing about this story, in my opinion, was the writing. It's not the plot or the characters, its the prose. Lanagan has put beautiful prose down on paper. The words are weaved together magnificently. I absolutely loved that. The setting is really great. Rollrock Island is a really cool place that traps you in. It has a lot of history to it as well as some mysteries that we, the readers, are left to ponder as the novel progresses. Rollrock sucks you in and doesn't let you go until its sapped a part of you into the pages where it exists. I can't get over the waves of the ocean crashing on the hilltop cliffs and the sand on the beach. The seaweed lingering around the island, collected up by the selkie wives and Miskaella. During my reading I felt like a foggy mist was lingering over me and the book, drenching us in a comforting humidity of words. That, my friends, was quite the sensation to experience.

The plot wasn't bad. I was rather intrigued, but I do believe that there were a few holes within it. I would've liked to have seen a return to the history of Miskaella. I had a question that was never answered by the time the book finished. I thought the last section would cover it, but it didn't and now I'm left with that one question still in my mind. For the most part, the book is pretty straightforward. Miskaella gets paid by the men of the island to use her affinity for seals to magicly carve a woman out. The skin of the seal is removed and hidden away. The legend of selkies goes that if a selkie gets its coat back, it can return to its ocean home. So of course, the men who choose them for their bride don't want this to happen. A kind of spell enchants the men and prevents them from seeing just how big things are getting and the depths of severity they've reached through their choice.

The characters are all right. The only one that I really enjoyed reading greatly was Miskaella. Daniel Mallett was also a good voice to have. The rest were just average and didn't come alive as much as those 2 did for me, Miskaella in particular. I would've really loved for her to have a second chapter because for a lot of the book she kinda disappears and goes back to being a recluse shadow character. Another thing that I found unsatisfactory was that Lanagan never told the story from the viewpoint of one of the selkie wives. The whole book revolves around a concept of revenge stemming from childhood, that becomes a big plot involving selkies....their plight is what we are reading about....and yet, sadly, we never hear the voice of one. That's one missed mark in my opinion. Hearing about them and their emotions was interesting. Getting to read the story from their perspective, even for a few short pages, would've been priceless. The one perspective I didn't really enjoy too much was Dominic Mallett. His story angered me and it made me want to slap him really hard across the face. Some may argue that there's "magic" at work but I don't buy it because I'm just stubborn and my romantic mind refuses to let it go. This prejudice against Dominic Mallett and his story are just my own personal opinion, you all and other readers may not think it such a big deal.

This story is almost haunting. The first chapter didn't do much to hook me in. I thought the fact that she was knitting seaweed was interesting, but beyond that I didn't care too much. It takes the second chapter to get into the story and a little longer to see what all is going on. Rollrock Island is a book that requires a lot of patience from its reader. Its definitely like no other book I've read before and I don't think that there are very many books like it. I'm a little curious to see more of Lanagan's writing style but after looking around a bit, I don't think that Tender Morsels is the book I would pick. I think I'd like to look into one of her short fiction collections. I'm curious as to if she writes as hauntingly and as atmospherically in her other works. I really loved the prose. If anything, I would recommend this book based on the prose alone. Other than that, I'd say that if you wanna give it a shot then go for it. If it doesn't float your boat I won't be surprised.

Rollrock Island is not for the faint hearted reader and not for someone who can pretend that life is ALWAYS buttercups and daisies. If you are one of those people, then this book will eat you alive and break your heart before you even realize what's happening. There's such emotion in some parts of the story that make you just sit there and wallow in pain for certain characters. There are so many what if questions left in my mind after reading this. It's definitely not a book I'll be forgetting anytime soon. It's been one of the better books I've read prose wise and its a new experience.

Overall, I can't say I hated it because it has lots of merit and raises a whole lot of questions about the human condition and is painted masterfully in its imagery. However, its not my usual cup of tea and there were a few points that left me feeling jipped. show less